


They'll All Be Unearthed

by suckitdomitian



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 10:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2847098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suckitdomitian/pseuds/suckitdomitian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>After breaking free from federal custody and delivering a HYDRA agent to SHIELD's doorstep, Ward decides it's time to have a little chat with his brother.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	They'll All Be Unearthed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loveyoudearly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveyoudearly/gifts).



“What are you doing?”

For all the reconnaissance he’d done, all the guards that he’d taken out, the tiny voice questioning him from the bushes was not something that Ward had taken into account when he’d hopped the fence to his brother’s large estate home. He’d known Christian was married. He’d known he had kids. He’d done his research: two teenagers and an elementary schooler, a well-meaning, devoted, and clueless wife, and the obligatory woman on the side that seemed so popular among politicians. He didn’t understand. He’d timed it well, to line up perfectly with the moments that the kids were supposed to be out of the home, as far away as school could get them, so that he’d only have to deal with Christian and Anna, but it seemed all the research in the world couldn’t have prepared him for nonpublic information, like a faculty development day at a private school.

“Most people use the front gate, not the back one,” the tiny wide eyes boring into him were staggering, not something that he’d prepared for at all, and certainly not something the fury that had been building in him was suitable to confront. “Are you like Anita? Daddy says I’m not supposed to tell Mommy about her. She uses the back gate all the time.” And it was hard to swallow down when things like _that_ just sparked it all the more. Especially with the way that the small child screwed up her features in an attempt to make sense of the situation. “Are you… Mommy’s Anita?”

It would have been easy to take that and run with it. It would have given him an excuse to keep the small child out of the situation, to worm his way into the wife’s confidence, but just the idea of agreeing to something like that was unnerving, disgusting, and he was shaking his head at her question before he had a second to reconsider the action.

“I’m an old friend of your father’s,” Ward said, feeling slightly horrified at having to call Christian a friend. But it was easier like this, a way to gain access without sparking too much curiosity. As it was, it was questionable whether or not Christian’s wife would be able to recognize him. He’d taken every measure to alter his appearance from the photos that they would have on hand and from what SHIELD would be looking for, but the one thing he couldn’t change was his face. Lowering himself on bended knee in front of the small child, Ward offered her a tentative smile. This wasn’t like it had been with Graham. There was no end goal here, no strategy that would leave her unaffected by his machinations, and winning her to his side would only end in heartbreak for the girl in front of him. Yet, his only other option was to turn around and walk away, and he wasn’t willing to do that. “I know he’s not home right now, but I was hoping to surprise him when he got in later. Do you think that’ll be all right?”

Another brief look of contemplation before she smiled, a smile that sent a sharp pain through Ward’s chest. He’d assumed that Christian’s children would be as maladjusted as they were, emotionally stunted, isolated, and unable to expression emotions like happiness or affection in ways that we’re twisted up in obedience or subservience. Yet the child in front of him, despite a seeming awareness of her father’s flagrant affair, was…surprisingly well adjusted. Ward wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.

“I’m sure Mommy won’t mind,” was the girl’s cheery response as she reached out and grabbed Ward’s hand before he could even react. “I’m Gloria by the way. What’s your name?”

Stumbling to stand quickly as the little girl, Gloria, pulled him along, Ward allowed himself another smile as he half lied, “Doug.”

Nobody had called him Doug in years. His grandmother, his little sister, occasionally some of the cousins whose faces and names he could no longer recall. It had been a name almost entirely free of the sort of accusatory guilt that was associated with someone drawing out a long, sharp ‘Grant’, and one that even fewer people would associate with him, especially those who would likely only know about him from the current media fervor. He’d checked. His family had made a rather consorted effort to eliminate him from their history since his disappearance from that juvenile hall.

“Mommy!” The back door slammed behind them as they entered the house, the obscene size of it already making his skin itch with unnerving memories. Too many secret corners, too many places for things to happen. “Mommy, where are you? I found a friend of Daddy’s. He used the back gate.”

A head peeked around the corner, looking both confused and disapproving as she shifted her gaze between Ward and her daughter. As she stepped more fully into view, Ward’s gaze was searching her instantly, seeking out the obvious injuries and signs of the less obvious ones, only to come up empty handed. Maybe, maybe she was just better at hiding it than he was at seeing.

“Gloria Annabeth Ward, what have I told you about talking to strangers?” the woman asked, arms crossing over her chest as her daughter looked up at her before diverting her gaze.

“Only if you tell me they’re okay,” she muttered, dragging her toe along the floor, eyes cast downward in guilt. “But he said he was Daddy’s friend.”

“Yes. I’m sure he did. But your father has a lot of friends that you really shouldn’t have anything to do with,” She said, shifting briefly to turn her attention to Ward, skeptically looking him up and down. She didn’t recognize him, at least, so that was a step in the right direction. Though, the way she was narrowing her eyes, he’d have to spin something fast if he wanted to actually still be here when Christian showed up.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Ward said. “I thought the back gate would give me an opportunity to talk to Chris without any of the reporters butting in. I did notice there were quite a few vans camped across the street.”

As she relaxed visibly, Ward internally patted himself on the back. Only his closest friends had the allowance to call him something as informal as _Chris_ , and the reporters really were a good excuse to take the back gate. Not that he’d taken any gate at all, but that wasn’t likely to get obvious until Christian got home and saw that most of his security team was, well, _indisposed_.

“Is he finally going to announce the plans for a presidential run?” Ward asked, trying to look excited rather than nauseated. “God knows the party doesn’t really have many better options.”

“You didn’t hear?” she asked, sincere surprise in her voice before she paused, turning to Gloria. “Go find something to play with, sweetheart. The grown-ups have to talk for a bit.”

She nodded, not offering any protests, probably feeling a bit of relief at not being punished for having talked to a strange man and deciding it was best to go before her mother changed her mind, and dashed off upstairs as Christian’s wife – Anna. Ward was pretty sure her name was Anna. – moved to take his arm and lead him into the sitting room.

“Chris’s brother, the one who disappeared years ago. He’s back, and it turns out he joined HYDRA,” She said, keeping the statement in hushed tones, as if the reporters could hear inside. Maybe they could. Bugs weren’t strictly the realm of spies, after all. “Chris said he wasn’t surprised, that Grant was always… troubled, but to have him resurface as a terrorist and a murderer? His relationship with his other siblings is strained enough because of this _Grant_ as it is without adding something like _this_ in the mix.”

Ward smiled through gritted teeth. Of course all of Christian’s issues with their other siblings were because of him. It was so much easier to make him the problem, so much simpler, especially with him gone.

“I’m sure he’ll handle it,” Ward said, settling a hand on her arm and squeezing lightly in reassurance. “There’s only so long someone can run from their actions. Eventually, they all catch up with you.”

“So true,” Anna said. “Can I offer you something to drink- I’m sorry. I don’t think I caught your name.”

Sometimes, it was just almost too easy. “Doug. Doug Thomas,” He said, allowing himself to relax. “And I would love something, if it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”

* * *

“Anna!” Christian’s voice echoed in the downstairs foyer. Well after dark and nearly 3 hours after he was supposed to be home, Christian was quietly thankful that ‘working late’ tended to go hand and hand in jobs like his. It made it so much easier to sneak away to the cabin for some alone time with Anita and get back in without anything seeming off. “Sorry I’m late! The write-ups for the bills we’re going over next term came in, and I had to plough through at least a few of them before I have to go back to DC this weekend.”

“It’s fine, Chris! I had plenty of company,” Anna called back from the sitting room, causing Christian to pause in confusion. Company? Her book club wasn’t until Thursday, and he was sure that there were no other people she was expecting to come in to town. God, if her mother had dropped by unannounced again…

Christian froze in the doorway of the sitting room, briefcase clattering to the floor at the sight of the man sitting on the couch with his wife and kids, holding his baby girl on his lap as pleasant as you please. “You.”

“Now, Christian, don’t go and ruin a perfectly pleasant evening by being yourself,” Ward drawled, shifting Gloria carefully off of his lap as he stood, crossing the room and pausing in front of his brother. The darkness in his eyes, the sheer amusement at his older brother’s barely concealed horror, all concealed from the rest of the family by his turned back. “I know I should have called first, but I so wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well, I’m surprised,” Christian returned, a dead shock in his voice as Ward stepped forward, sweeping his brother up in a hug and smirk to himself as Christian tensed. “Wh- What are you even doing here?”

“Oh, just in the neighborhood. Thought I might stop in and have a bit of a talk with you about your public persona,” Ward said, stepping back and little but not letting go of contact, allowing his grip on Christian’s shoulder, his idle picking of lint off the front of the Senator’s suit, to impress the situation upon him. _I’m_ the one in control right now, so don’t even think about trying anything. “After all, if we’re going to think about a presidential bid in 2016, we’ve got to make sure everything’s out in the open. Don’t we?”

“If this is political talk, we can leave you boys to it,” Anna said, moving to stand but stopping as Ward turned back to her.

“No. No. I think most of this is stuff you’ll want to hear as well,” He said, grasping Christian’s shoulders and maneuvering him down on the couch next to her, pushing him into the seat. “God knows how the Dems love to dig up that dirt. What was it Dad used to say, Christian? ‘Bury my secrets, and they’ll all be unearthed. Shower me in shit, and they won’t know which way to look.’? Ready for a shower, big brother?”

“Kids,” Anna said, her voice tense, all of the ease having gone out of her posture. “I think you should go to your rooms.”

“But Mommy-“

“NOW,” She snapped, the teenagers filing out willingly, scooping up their younger sister and carrying her out of the room. “What do you want from us?” Anna asked the second they were gone, gaze fearful and trapped as she turned to look up at Ward. “We can give you anything. Just don’t hurt us.”

“Anna, I was here… How long? If I wanted to hurt any of you, I would have already done it,” Ward said, a quiet exhaustion in his voice. “What he’s told you? About me, about my history, my _tendencies_ , it’s not exactly true. Is it, Christian?”

“You always say that Grant. Have you been in denial this whole time?” Christian asked, tilting his head to look up at Ward, a quietly pitying look on his features. “Do you not remember? Do you not remember the things you used to do? The ways you used to hurt Thomas no matter how much I tried to stop you?”

“No!” Ward said, his fingers digging into Christian’s shoulder at the flash of rage that ran through him. “That’s a lie. You didn’t stop anything, Christian. You started it. You _always_ started it.”

“How could I have started something when I was never the one doing anything, Grant? How? That doesn’t work. You need to stop blaming the rest of us for your problems. You’re never going to get better if you keep denying what you are. I can help you. All you have to do it turn yourself in, and we can get you some help.”

“I don’t _need_ any help, Christian! Especially not from you!” Ward snapped, grabbing his brother by the collar and dragging him to his feet. “I think it’s time we have an honest conversation. No more tricks, no more lies, no more of your twisted doubletalk to make me question my own mind, my own memory. Because, brother, I’ve gone through worse than you now, and I recognize all your tricks. They’re not going to work anymore.”

Opening the front door, Ward shoved Christian outside, onto the lawn, smirking as his brother stumbled, tripping over his own two feet and falling face first into the grass. It was enough to gain the attention of the reporters camped across the street, enough for them to swing their cameras right in their direction as Ward hauled his brother back to his feet.

Leaning over, lips pressed almost flush against Christian’s ear, Ward took a quiet pride in the tension in his brother’s stance, “Now, don’t you think it’s time we tell the world the truth about you? Why don’t you do it. You’ll feel so much better getting it off your chest. Just how long have you been lying to yourself, Christian? How many lies do you have to tell to yourself daily to live with the things you did, to convince yourself that they weren’t your fault?”

“How many do you?” Christian hissed back, an attempt to build the tension between them, but Ward just smiled.

“I’ve accepted my role in what happened, brother dear,” Ward said. “Maybe if I’d been less afraid, things would have ended differently, for all of us. But there’s nothing I can do about it now. Nothing I can do but accept it and move on. What about you?” Ward asked. “Is your conscience anywhere near as clear?”

Giving his brother a shove towards the cameras, Ward folded his arms over his chest as he stared down Christian. His brother had turned, looking back at Ward and at his wife, who had followed the both of them outside, before he turned slowly back to the wave of reporters standing on his lawn.

“I am sure all of you are aware of the speech I gave the other day,” Christian said, swallowing hard. “The one that condemned and called for the speedy prosecution of my brother,” He paused, looking back at Ward before turning slowly to the cameras. “And I’m sure you are all equally as aware of my reputation, my record, and my biography. I feel, given the integrity of my office and the burdens of working with a heavy conscience, that there are some things I should clear up in regards to my conduct over the years.”

* * *

It was a heady speech. Lengthy as well, covering things that Ward hadn’t even been aware of himself, from kickbacks and shady under the table business deals, to the much more obvious affairs. Multiple. Anita was hardly the first. Anna had left midway through the rundown, and Ward had been quietly impressed. Most politicians wives were the ‘stand by my man’ type, but it seemed that Christian’s list of sins were too much for her to tolerate. She’d reappeared on the lawn with the kids and a half a dozen suitcases during the frenzy of reporters’ questions and the appearance of the FBI to drag him away.

Ward didn’t offer any resistance. Partly because he was too tired and partly because there was a small contingent of officers staying behind to question his brother as well. And as far as he was concerned, all was well that ended well.

The last thing he’d been expecting in the lengthy ride back to the nearest federal facility was the sudden rupture of all of the tires on the transport van and the sudden appearance of a flashbang grenade through the rear window. Unable to cover his eyes in time, the sudden disorientation coupled with being hauled from the van and tossed into another left Ward swimming until his vision cleared, leaving him looking up at Skye, Trip, and Bobbi.

Oh. Wonderful. Back to the vault he goes.

“That,” Skye said, the second it became obvious his vision had focused back in. “ _That_ was why you beat the shit out of three federal officers and threatened a busload of civilians? You wanted to ruin big brother’s career?”

“It was a little more than his career,” Ward muttered, shifting as he pushed himself up into the sitting position.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot destroy his family,” Skye huffed, balling up a fist and only relaxing it when Trip settled a hand on her shoulder.

“Sounded to me like he had more than enough reason,” Trip said, looking over at Skye. “Coulson wouldn’t have agreed with your plan of coming here to collect him if he hadn’t seen some benefit in what he did.”

Skye’s glare was sudden, intense, and left Trip slightly staggered and confused until Bobbi piped up.

“Pretty sure we weren’t supposed to mention the rescue plan was her idea, Trip,” She called, peering back over her shoulder from the driver’s seat. “Something about him maybe getting the impression she still cared. Which is completely not the case. Right, Skye?”

The question was playful, teasing, but Skye still affirmed it was perfect seriousness, “Right. We’re just here because Coulson wants to talk.”

“Yeah,” Trip echoed, smiling despite himself. “Because Coulson wants to talk.”

Ward had a feeling that Trip and Bobbi were right. There was far more to it than that, but he knew went he shouldn’t press his luck. Besides, if it was really just talking, it sounded like his luck might actually be changing for the better.

They would see.


End file.
